On Training and Planning

I snuck out for a quick 5 mile run last night to loosen the legs up after the SJJ Half Marathon and found myself thinking along the way about training plans and theories.

I have read a lot of articles blog entries about mileage, pace, nutrition, rest, recovery...it never ends. To follow any of the plans that are out there, one pretty much has to forget about any other elements of life. And when you read the fine print on these plans, you quickly learn that no one really knows anything. I mean, sure we know more about heart rate, muscle recovery, and the other scientific elements of how the body works under certain conditions, but let me ask you these questions:

1. How many long runs should one do in the lead up to a marathon?
2. How long should the longest run before a marathon be?
3. At what pace should one run his or her long runs?
4. How much speedwork should a runner do in preparation for a marathon?

Everyone has an opinion on these things, but no one agrees. And all of the expert coaches seem to concede that their plans work for some people and not others. AND all of the expert coaches seem to agree that some people are just plain better suited to marathon running than others.

(It is probably no accident that everyone I ever climbed with has also run marathons, and having given up vertical climbing at altitude, many are now ultra runners...)

Not to discount the training programs and coaches - if I could afford one and had the sort of lifestyle that allowed me a strict schedule, I'd probably opt to have a training coach myself - but I have decided that training really just boils down to one thing:

Run.

Run short. Run long. Run fast. Run slow. Run on trails. Run on streets. Run with friends. Run to the store. Run home from work. Run from the cops. Run on the track. Run around the house with the kids.

I only put this out there because I tried yesterday to add some training plans to the Family Calendar and couldn't. My official training plan for the Seattle Marathon is as follows (comments welcome):

• Average at least 40 miles per week between now and November 20th
• Complete at least 4 runs of 20+ miles
• Complete one run of 22 miles
• Throw in some speedwork at the track when possible
• Use the bike/trainer to keep lose on rest days
  
• Get down to my goal race weight (165 pounds) by November 15th
• No run longer than 3 miles during my 1 week taper
• Change the playlist on my iPod. Good lord...
  
• Use the word "fartlek" whenever possible
  
• Show up on November 30th and run like hell for 26.2 miles
  

No calendar. No strict plan. Run when I can. If I get to the end of a week and I need 4 miles to get to 40, I'll run 4. If I need 14, I'll run 14.